Wednesday, March 18, 2009

"there is nothing greater in the world of ice cream than Haagen Dazs' Caramelized Pear and Toasted Pecan ice cream. Unless it's Haagen Dazs' brown sugar ice cream, which has five ingredients: milk, cream, eggs, sugar, molasses/brown sugar. Holy mother of sugar, that stuff is happiness. If you are at all ice-creamedly inclined, you have to try these.

I would say I'm something of an ice cream lover. I think that fact was established the summer I studied human rights in France and had une boule of gelato Every Single Day (and walked it off every single day-- those Europeans know how to live, sigh).

Berkeley CA has no shortage of fine, handmade, artisanal ice creams and gelati. Off the top of my head, you've got: Ici, Sketch (the finest soft-serve-yet-true-ice-cream you will ever have), Tara's Organic, Gelato Milano, Naia (originally Mondo Gelato, and better when it was), the place at the bottom of Solano with Mitchell's (but Solano needs more and better ice cream!).

San Ramon has Loard's ice cream, which has a fabulous Caramel Cashew. And Castro Valley has the fabulous Knudsen's Ice Creamery, a family owned/operated business for decades. They also make candy and serve organic diner food. !!! SUPER fab.

If you know of more good places to get ice cream in the Bay Area, please add to the list!